Molecular cloning of full-length sequence of hepatitis G virus genome isolated from a Japanese patient with liver disease

A transfusion-transmissible agent, designated hepatitis G virus (HGV), was recently identified. We have cloned the full-length nucleotide sequence of the HGV genome (denoted HGV-IM71) recovered from a Japanese patient with liver cirrhosis. The HGV-IM71 isolate was composed of 9387 nucleotides (nt) with 5' and 3' untranslated regions of 458 and 310 nt, respectively. It had a single open reading frame, encoding 2873 amino acid (aa) residues. This isolate differed from previously reported HGV/GBV-C isolates by 8-15% of the nucleotide sequence and 3-5% of the amino acid sequence. The isolate lacked a clearly identifiable core gene that had only 47 aa residues. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the full-genome sequence, it was concluded that HGV-IM71 belonged to the Asia type (type 3) of HGV genotypes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.